Confiding in You ϟ a.i.

Chapter 41

"What the hell was that, Irwin!?" Their coach screams just as the team is coming from the field.

Ashton walks right past me with his head down and his mind finally on the game, whose outcome he knows is going to be blamed on him. He pulls the gloves from his hands and his bandana from his head, chucking them all down onto the bench in frustration. Everyone is watching him and waiting for him to react to the outburst that the coach is still having.

"Just because you're already losing the game for us, doesn't mean you stop trying to block goals entirely!"

He still only stares back at him, clearly trying not to blow up as well. He takes a swig from his water bottle and wipes his mouth with aggression while the man in front of him throws his clipboard on the ground. It makes a loud snap when he steps on it, causing me to jump but taking no reaction out of Ashton.

"Where the hell is your head at, kid?! That was pathetic!" He continues to yell and Ashton finally glances over at me, looking weaker than ever.

"He was too busy thinking about his girlfriend," Luke's voice pipes up with a snicker and the coach whips his head over to him. After a long while of looking at his smug face through squinted eyes, he turns back toward Ashton.

"When you're on the field, your girlfriend doesn't matter! You should have damn well known that!"

Something about the lecture awakens Ashton from his apathetic daze and he stands up straight. The look on his face now is nearly animalistic, but it isn't toward his coach. He's sneering at Luke like he is going to jump forward and break his neck any second. I'm terrified he actually might.

Eventually, the coach gives up on lecturing his unresponsive player and picks up his broken clipboard with a groan. He shakes his head at Ashton, his teeth gritted, before turning back and pushing through the other guys to leave.

Ashton looks to me again, defeated, and starts in my direction. Before he can make it to me, though, his mom intercepts him. She's accompanied by Harry and looks about as concerned for her son as I feel. I hadn't noticed her join all of us on the bleachers, but I should have expected it. Unlike my mom, she is involved in her kids' lives.

She rests her hand on his shoulder and again he bows his head. While I figure she's consoling him softly, the way they both steal glances at me tells me otherwise. I guess I just seem to make trouble everywhere I go.

He hesitantly nods when the conversation comes to close and I can't help but worry what exactly she was saying to him. It didn't look like anything bad, persay, but Ashton seems even more crushed now that it's over. Despite the loss, Harry gives him a high five before the two of them leave and Ashton finishes the short walk toward me.

"Good game, Ash," Michael says before I can get a word out.

I stand from my seat to be face to face with him just as he rolls his eyes at Michael, "Don't lie, Mikey. It f*cking sucked."

"It was good until it started sucking."

"At least you didn't die," Milly adds.

He's so obviously heartbroken, but he still cracks a smile. What's more amazing is when we meet eyes, he's in a whole other world. One where he didn't just distractedly lose the game for his team, or cause his coach to go crazy on him. He rubs my arms and looks at me with a soft expression, showing the utmost care toward me that I was prepared to show toward him.

"Are you okay?" He asks and I nod.

I don't want to talk about how I am. I don't want to talk about what just happened from my perspective and I certainly don't want to talk about Luke. For once, I want to make sure he is alright. He clearly cared so much about this game and I screwed it up for him. How he feels is more important and I wish he'd accept that, at least tonight.